Exercising apparatus.



M. DU-FFNER.

EXERGISING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 7, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

FIG. 1

WITNESSES COLUMBIA PLANQGRIAPH C04. WASHINGTON h. c.

M. DUFFNER.

EXEROISING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. '1 1910. 1,006,470.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FIG. 2

FIG. 3

"W900i W y COLUMBIA PLANoun wrl co.. WASHINGTON. n. C

Patented 001;. 24, 1911.

M. DUFFNER. EXERCISING APPARATUS.

AI PLIOATION IQILED SEPT. 7, 1910.

Patented Oct. 24

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' WITNESSES COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH c MATTHEW DUFFNER, OF PITTSBURGH,PENNSYLVANIA.

EXERCISING APPARATUS. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

1 Application filed September 7, 1910. Serial No. 580,843.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, MATTHEW DUEENER, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Exercising Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to exercising devices and particularly to anapparatus in which a rotating member is operated by cords or flexibledevices and in which an electric circuit is established through theoperator upon his grasping the handles provided for operating therotating member.

An object of this invention is to provide novel means for simultaneouslyexercising and receiving a current of electricity so that the operatormay receive the benefits of the exercise and the electrical treatmentunder favorable conditions, means being provided for making or breakingan electrical circuit and for controlling the intensity of the current.

A still further object of this invention is to provide novel means forestablishing a circuit through the hand grips of an exercising device,othernovel means being provided for establishing a circuit through thefeet of an operator, thus enabling the operator to be treated throughthe hands and arms alone, through the feet and legs alone, or throughthe hands and feet.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists inthe details of construction and in the arrangement and combination ofparts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, ref-- erence will be had to theaccompanying drawings forming part of this specification wherein likecharacters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in whichFigure 1 illustrates a View in perspective of a complete exercisingdevice embodying the invention; Fig. 2 illustrates a sectional view of afragment of the same; Fig. 3 illus trates a horizontal sectional view ofthe easing and the mechanism in plan therein; Fig. 4 illustrates adetail sectional View of the electrode for supporting the foot of anoperator; Fig. 5 illustrates a view in elevation of an exercising devicewith the electrical connection omitted; and Fig. 6 illustrates a sideelevation thereof.

In these drawings 7 indicates a casing or base having standards 8 and 9supported thereon which standards terminate at their upper ends inbearings for the hollow shaft 10. The shaft 10 has a weight 11 thereonwhich may be in the form of a ball or of any other configuration and thesaid shaft is further provided with an aperture 12 and an aperture 13 onopposite sides of the ball, the aperture 12 being in a portion of theshaft at right angles to the portion containing the aperture 13.Flexible devices are wound around the shaft 10 and upon their beingpulled communicate rotary motion to the shaft. The flexible members eachcomprise a cord having a metallic core 14 for the purpose of conductingelectricity, the said core being incased by a fibrous covering 15. Thecords are shown as applied to the apertures 12 and 13 and the relationof the apertures to each other is maintained for the reason that one ofthe cords will always be partially wound on the shaft so a pull on thecordswill result in rotating the shaft. If both of the apertures are inthe same relation to the shaft or in a line longitudinally thereof, thesaid cords when fully unwrapped from the shaft could not start itsrotation and it will. be necessary to manipulate the weight of the shaftfor the purpose of starting the winding of the cords. The core of one ofthe cords is shown as being connected to a stem 16 which projectsthrough an insulator 17 which is seated in the end of the shaft 10 andsaid stem 16 terminates in a disk 18 forming a contact by whichelectricity is allowed to find its way to the core 14 from a battery bymeans to be presently explained.

The base 7 is provided with a'bracket 19 which bracket supports a framehaving two sleeves 20 and 21 in which a carbon or an electricalconductor 22 is slidable, the said carbon having its ends held inengagement with the disk 18 through the medium of a spring 23 whichencircles a rod 24 of the frame and bears against the arm 25. The arm 25in turn is slidable on the rod 24 and has a clamping member 26 on itsends which engages the carbon and feeds it longitudinally intoengagement with the disk 18. The base 7 is also provided with anaperture containing an insulator 27 having a terminal 28 therein whichis in electrical contact with the bracket 19 through the medium of theconductor 29, which conductor 29 terminates nected to a conductor 32,the latter of which has one end secured to a terminal 33 which isinserted in an insulator 34 in the base, the I said terminal 33 being inelectrical contact with the standard 8, and the standard 8 in turn beingin electrical contact with the hollow shaft 10 to which the core 14 ofthe other cord'is also electrically connected. It will follow from whathas been said, therefore, that upon energization of the conductor 29through the medium to be presently explained a circuit will beestablished through the bracket 19, carbon 22, disk 18 and the cordconnected thereto through the hands of the operator and back to theconductor 32 through the shaft 10, standard 8 and parts connectedthereto. In this connection it may be said that each of the flexibleconnections or cords have hand grips 35 that are con- 'ductors ofelectricity and that are connected to the cores of the flexibleconnections in such 'a manner as to receive current therefrom so thatcurrent is permitted to flowductor 44 connected to it and the saidconductor 44 is also connected to a terminal 45" of the induction coilwhereas the conductor 32 is connected to a terminal 46 of the inductioncoil. The conductor 44 isextended to a terminal 45 and the terminal 45extends through an insulator 46 in the base 7. A conductor 47 extendsfrom the terminal 45 to a binding screw 47 of an electrode 48 which isdesigned to be applied to a foot of a person to be treated and anotherelectrode 49 has a binding screw 50 to which a conductor 51 is connectedso that a current of electricity will pass through the feet and legs ofone standing on the electrodes when the conductor 44 is energized. Inmaking the electrodes, I prefer that they shall consist of an insulatingbase 52 having a plate 53 thereon, which is a conductor of electricity,the said plate being flanged to extend over the sides of the insulatingba'se and having a binding screw extending through the flange into thebase. The binding screw serves to retain the plate on the base and as afurther means for holding the plate on the base, a screw 54 is insertedin the base through'the flange at the end ofthe electrode opposite thebinding screw. The

induction coil is controlled by the usual slidable controlling rod "55which extends through the base so that it can be manipulated from theexterior thereof.

When it is desired to operate the apparatus, the switch 36 is set toestablish circuit from the battery to the induction coil and the switcharm 56 of the switch 30 may be set to engage the contact 57 or thecontact 58 according to whether circuit is to be established through thehands and arms alone or through the hands and feet. As the exercisingdevice is being operated by pull on the cords the shaft is alternatelyrotated in opposite directions due to the winding and unwinding of thecords on the shafts. Regardless of the direction of rotation of theshaft 10, the disk 18 will be electrically connected to the batterythrough the induction coil and circuit will be established through thehands and arms of the operator so that the said operator will get thebenefit of the current of electricity by taking the exercise. Thecircuit through the cores of the cords may be cut out by utilizing theswitch 36 as heretofore explained and the apparatus is therefore underthe control of the user so far as the electric current is concerned.

In the apparatus shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the electrical feature isomitted and an exercising device per se is supplied. In this form of theapparatus, a base 59 has journal bearings 60 and 61 thereon, in which ashaft 62 is rotatable, the said shaft having a weight 63 thereon whichmay be of such size as desired. The flexible devices such as cords 64are wound around the shaft 011 opposite sides of the weight and saidcords extend through pulleys 65 which are suspended from brackets 66secured against the surfaces of the seats of the frame 67. The cords 64have hand grasps 68 of any appropriate type so that the cords may bepulled for the purpose of unwinding the same from the shaft, which shaftunder the momentum due to the pull directed on the cords while beingunwound from the shaft and the presence of the weight on said shaft willrotate a suflicient degree to rewind the cords on the shaft in adirection opposite to that in which they were first wound and each pullon the cords results in unwinding the cords and upon their release beingrewound on the said shaft. The frame 67 may be anchored to a wallthrough the medium of the lag screws 69 or through the medium of thescrew eyes 70 and the base 59 may be anchored in any appropriate way. Ithas been shown in the drawings that the pulleys 65 are connected to eyes71 of the brackets 66 through the medium of the hooks 72 50 that thepulleys may be readily applied to and removed from the brackets.

I claim 1. In an exercising apparatus, a base, shaft supporting membersthereon, a shaft, flexible members adapted to be wound on the shaft, oneof said flexible members being electrically connected to the shaft, aweight on the shaft, a conductor rotatable with the shaft, insulatedtherefrom and electrically connected to one of the flexible members, asource of electricity electrically connected to the conductor, and meansfor electrically connecting the shaft to the source of electricity.

2. In an exercising apparatus, a shaft, means for supporting the same, aweight on the shaft, and flexible members adapted to be wound on theshaft and having their ends connected to the shaft, the points ofattachment of the said flexible members with the shaft being out ofalinement with relation to each other longitudinally of the shaft andmeans associated with the shaft for electrically charging the flexiblemembers.

8. In an exercising apparatus, a base, shaft supporting members thereon,a shaft, flexible members adapted to be wound on the shaft, one of saidflexible members being electrically connected to the shaft, a weight onthe shaft, a conductor rotatable with the shaft, insulated therefrom andelectrically connected to the other flexible member, a source ofelectricity electrically connected to the conductor, and means forelectrically connecting the shaft to the source of electricity.

4. In an exercising apparatus, a hollow shaft, means for mounting theshaft to permit its rotation, an insulator extending into the shaft, aconductor extending therethrough and into the shaft and having a contacton its outer end, a conductor in engagement with the contact, a sourceof electricity, means for electrically connecting the last mentionedconductor to the source of electricity, flexible pulling membersconnected to the shaft, one of said pull ing members being electricallyconnected to the conductor within the shaft and the other of saidflexible pulling members being electrically connected to the shaft,means for electrically connecting the shaft to the source ofelectricity, and switches in the circuit of the flexible pullingmembers.

5. In an exercising apparatus, a hollow shaft, means for mounting theshaft to permit its rotation, an insulator in the shaft, a conductorextending therethrough and into the shaft and having a contact on itsouter end, a conductor in engagement with the contact, a source ofelectricity, means for electrically connecting the last mentionedconductor to the source of electricity, flexible pulling membersconnected to the shaft, one of said pulling members being electricallyconnected to the conductor within the shaft and the other of saidflexible pulling members being electrically connected to the shaft,means for electrically connecting the shaft to the source ofelectricity, switches in the circuit of the flexible pulling members,foot engaging electrodes, and means for electrically connecting theelectrodes to the source of electricity.

6. In an exercising apparatus, a shaft, means for rotatably supportingthe shaft, flexible pulling devices wound around the shaft, the saidpulling devices being conductors of electricity, and means forestablishing a circuit through the shaft and the pulling devices whensaid pulling devices are grasped by an operator.

7. In an exercising apparatus, a shaft, means for rotatably supportingthe shaft, flexible pulling devices wound around the shaft, said pullingdevices being conductors of electricity, means for establishing acircuit through the shaft and the pulling devices when the latter aregrasped by an operator, and foot engaging electrodes in circuit with theflexible pulling members.

In testimony whereof, Iafiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

MATTHEW DUFFNER. Witnesses:

ANNA A. MILLIGAN, C. B. MILLIGAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

